I took the trail from Table Rock to Laurel Valley yesterday morning 8-3-18 during the rain. The Creeks and Falls along the trail were raging but awesome to see and hear. Crossing points were still safe but reccomend the upmost caution. The sky's cleared by the time I crested at Sassafras overlook. I made the section in 4:35. Looking forward to Hiking the trail all the way to OSP soon.

We did the first 30 miles from Oconee to Whitewater Falls October 2017 in 2.5 days. Pretty cruisy with some great camp sites. Didn't see anyone on our Thursday to Saturday walk. Went back to Table Rock SP May 3, 4, 5, 2018, and finished up the last 48 miles. Sassafras Mt. was closed due to the new tower construction. There was one worker dude up there in a truck hanging out with his girlfriend. We obeyed and took the detour but I wasn't pleased. We finished day 2 with Heartbreak Ridge and I agree with a previous poster on finishing the day with Heartbreaker and getting yourself one of the sweeeeeet campsites by the Toxaway because the next day you got about 16 pretty tough miles to the camp that the Girlscouts constructed close to the base of Whitewater Falls. Hats off to all the Eagle Scouts who did their community service projects on this trail; their everywhere. As for water... it's everywhere.

AllTrails need to upgrade this trail it is not easy. Our suggestion is to make this a winter hike. Trail is very overgrown, and a couple of spots the trail has been almost washed away. Not a good trail for young children, dogs or physically challenged. Less experienced hikers could find themselves off the trail easily due to the thick brush, some areas were over our heads. Oh, and beware of the spiders, bring a walking stick to beat them out of the way. But the view was an amazing reward!!!

Well worth the walk in. The drive in is a bit lengthy and I parked on the main road, I was driving a car and couldn't navigate the water bars. The gate to the road was open the day I went. The walk was very easy and well marked. wish I could have had more time to walk to the lower part of the falls. Caution does need to be taken because of the potential dangerous of falling down near the top because of slick rocks.

Nice hike! With the recent storms, there are a lot of trees down across the trail. The stretch with Blue Trail markers is not marked very often, and some of it is overgrown so it can be easy to lose the trail. The majority of it is well marked and well-defined. There are some challenging sections. Can be done as a day hike or broken up into 2 days. There are really nice camping sites along the Chatooga River Trail.

The hike was Good except I was the only one doing the entire hike To start with, there is no marking that says there is a hike, there will be a muddy road going indicating the start of the hike. You can park on the side of the road but there are not many spots (I was lucky, I was the only one but was still concerned about the safety of the car)The trail is not well marked but the muddy pathway is about 15 feet wide for most of the part and you can just follow that.There will be few points where the roads goes in two directions but try to be on the right. The last part of the hike is really steep and you have to literally crawl down holding roots and branches. The waterfall is really nice and rewarding. I will not risk taking children and pets if I want to go to the waterfall. You have to crawl down even to see that as it’s not visible from a distance.

Worth the hike to the falls. Not to steep some climbing nothing to hard, our 3 year old loved it. Our dog enjoyed it as well. wear closed toe shoes very wet trail. Take water with you as well. Well maintained tail and very well marked. if you haven't been deff worth the trip!!! lots of wildlife & birds.

Beautiful walk. Chanterelle season. Open forest and a moderate walk if you walk every day. I'm not sure that the mileage is correct. Went Friday morning and met 3 dogs and 5 people, spread way out. Bring a snack for the climb back out. I'll do this o e again in the fall and the winter.

This trail really needs to be reviewed in sections, preferably from Scott Lynch's book. Some parts are definitely moderate with long stretches of trail that is smooth, easy, and crazy beautiful. Other parts are steep switchbacks with big trees to crabwalk under or scrabble over.
A friend and I did 35 miles, starting at Oconee and ending just before Whitewater Falls. Outrageously beautiful - all the streams and creeks were running, and the Chattooga was raging. Waterfalls everywhere! Mushrooms of all colors, waterfalls of ferns, every moss and lichen, blooming rhododendrons, We were glad we had planned low miles so we could stop to explore and take pictures.
My caution would be that it was hot with very high humidity, and we almost couldn't drink enough water to stay hydrated.
We will be back to do more.

The road markers had been removed, so track the driving distance carefully. The walk in was pretty easy. However just before we got to the falls, there was a big log across the trail. Although someone had cut a notch in it, it was still too high for these 70 year old legs to get over without additional steps (that were't there), so we never made it to the falls.

Kings Creek falls is absolutely amazing. Fairly easy to get to, well maintained trails, except closer to the falls it gets a little tricky. It’s very muddy around the falls, with some slick rocks you’ll have to climb down. The payoff is worth it.

Gorgeous river and waterfalls. Great swimming holes at the base of the initial decent. However this trail does not allow camping due to whitewater corridor protection (the reason for the 3 star rating). However we hiked to Thompson river, 2.7 miles past the turnaround. This was a spectacular 4 star hike. Next time we will start at Bad creek parking to get to Thompson river. (A lot of ticks in June!)

This was a nice afternoon hike. we did this with a five and six year old. The decent to the falls could be a bit tricky for little legs, but they did great. The payoff is definitely sitting at the bottom of falls. It is beautiful. Probably even better after a rain.

I have sectioned about 45 miles of this trail on 2 separate visits. I keep coming back because I love the area so much. I will say it is a legit backpacking trail and not to be taken lightly if you intend to make a go of it. I agree with another reviewer who said it is hard to rate the terrain; some sections are quite easy and mild and other sections are rugged, steep, and hard on your body whether you're young or old. Of the sections I have done, Oconee to the beginning of the Chatooga river was easiest. The easterly section of the Chatooga and the section from Sassafras to TRSP were the most rugged. Expect slow going through those parts and some sore feet! Be in shape and allow 5-7 days to do the whole trail depending on your experience level. All in all it is really lush and beautiful terrain and there are so many cool trees, waterfalls, rivers, and rock formations to see. Water sources are plentiful in spring. There are no resupply options or town crossings, although there are rural road crossings every 5-10 miles and some very cool volunteer shuttle drivers listed on the FHT website. I highly recommend Jim Simpson, he is the man!! He picked me up on an hour's notice when I had some health issues and had to get off trail for the night.

This hike was worth it and had a pretty good view at the end. Went May 13th and there was definitely a bunch of trees and branches to dodge as you ascended up and down the path. I don't know if I'd do it again, maybe in the winter time when there wasn't so many trees brushing up against me (waist high at the tallest). Don't forget to wear long pants!
I'd call it somewhere between easy and moderate.

If you have trouble finding the start of the trail based on this apps directions like I did than drive past the cherry hill recreation center and about a mile or two up the road is a side road to the left named F708. Turn down that road and drive about 3 miles down the dirt road until you see the sign for a campground. Park in the campgrounds parking lot and walk down past the gate towards the campground and go to the very last campsite along the river. There will be a sign for the Chattooga River trail which is the trail you should follow. There will be an area where the trail splits into three directions, just keep following the green and white blazes along the trail until you see the small side trail that leads to the falls. It's not an official path so it is slightly dangerous to trek down but it will take you out right beside the falls which are breathtaking.

In May 2018, hiked from Table Rock to Bad Creek (45 miles) in 2.5 days. I would second everything that Bradley Glenn said in his review here and won't repeat it, except to recommend getting Scott Lynch's little guide to the trail. I kept it in my back pocket and consulted it frequently. In addition to what Bradley said, I would highly recommend the following campsites (2 of which we used, the others of which we saw): 8.6 miles from Table Rock (no name), on Lake Jocassee after Heartbreak Ridge (don't take the first one you see, wait for the picnic tables--the ones closest to the bridge over the Toxaway are best), Thompson River, and Virginia Hawkins Falls. This hike is A LOT of up and down. If you don't normally hike with a stick or trekking poles, you should still use them on this hike if only to save your knees on the downhills. We saw two adolescent black bears on this hike, both of which ran off with a little yelling. Hang your food or bring a bear canister. Expect isolation, at least in May. We had spectacular weather and saw maybe a dozen people over 2.5 days. Thompson River, Viriginia Hawkins Falls and Horsepasture River are perfect lunch spots. If you are following the Lynch 5-day thru hike plan, I'd recommend including Hearbreak Ridge at the end of day 2 instead of the beginning of day 3. You have another long, tough climb already early in day 3 after crossing the Toxaway River, and knocking out HB at the end of day 2 prevents having to start the day with 2 tough climbs. If you want a challenging trail that is well-maintained and free of crowds, the Foothills Trail is a great choice. If you need a shuttle, Google Lake Jocassee Tours and ask for Randy Cobb to shuttle you. Good guy and on time.